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I use to pre drill my bolt holes in the neck blocks but I always found it difficult to both make sure the block was dead on center and also that the holes lined up perfectly with the inserts in the tenon on the neck, Both vertically and horizontally.
I decided id try to do everything after the box was closed up. That meant installing the neck block with no mortise or bolt holes and after the box was together cutting the mortise and drilling the holes for the bolts as well as counter sinking there heads.
I cant recall who (maybe it was Larry Presenall) that turned me on to a reverse spotfacer bit. That turned out to be just the ticket for countersinking the heads of the bolts inside the box.
Anyways for anyone interested, this is a quick tutorial on how I set the bolts.

The first thing I do is cut the mortise, I don't have any picture of this process but its nothing unusual. Chuck the body in the jig and cut the mortise.


Then I screw in a bolt that I ground to a point in to the top insert in the neck.



Next I take the neck and "PRESS" it in place marking the spot where I will eventual drill.



For reference here is what the reverse spotface bit looks like.



Once the arbor is through the hole you attach the cutting head from inside the box.



The next step is to drill the holes for the reverse spotfacer arbor to got through,





Then replace the drill bit with the arbor and push it through in to the guitar box.



Once the arbor is inside you reach in the sound hole and attach the cutter.



Pulling up on the drill the cutter makes the proper sized counter sunk holes for my bolts.



Here are a few more shots of the process completed. Hope this helps someone!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Thanks for the tutorial Lance. I want to get a spot-face bit myself. Where did you get it ??
Are you bolting the fb. too or gluing it down? I'm bolting mine for the first time on my current geetar.
It's extra work but I think it will be worth it.
Cool tip ,sharpening the bolts like that!

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Very nicely done Lance my friend!

Where do you get those bolts please?

That spot facing bit looks like one that you can get at woodcraft in with the pen making supplies. It is used for trimming the barrels on the pen planks.

Gary

The spot facer can be had from Aircraft Supply...that's pretty close at least...Google will give up the proper info! Nice tutorial Lance!

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http://www.presnallguitars.com

Thanks Guys,
Dave no im still gluing down the extension.
Hesh the bolts come from Lowes

The spotfacer came from http://www.panamericantool.com

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Lance, I like it! Thanks for sharing.

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Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

Nice job. You can get them at theyardstore.com too.
They also work well for putting a pickup jack in a guitar that has a thick end block (like some of Charlie Hoffman's early ones) where you have to countersink the inside of the end block.
Terry

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

Thanks, Lance.

Is it a 1/4" dia. arbor?

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Pat, I was trying to remember what size it was this morning when I was writing this tut up.. Ill check when I get home...

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

When you are asking for them in the hardware store they are called furniture bolts.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

I do some the way Lance does; other by drilling the head block before closing the guitar and then marking the tenon with a pencil stuck through the block after the box is closed. But I'd recommend not drilling the block without a waste block clamped to the inside to prevent splitting when the drill bit exits. Even a good lip and spur bit can leave an exit wound. You can clamp the right size block using the soundhole--a clamp on either side will allow room for drilling. MSC also has reverse spotfacers. And I drill the block 5/16" for a 1/4" bolt. Gives you a bit of slack without weakening things.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Thanks Lance, that is a very helpful tutorial. That reverse spot face bit is the ticket.
Dave Anderson mentioned bolting down the fretboard overhang instead of gluing. How do you do that?

Thanks,
Joe

Howard, this is good advise! Ill do this next time. Although I have never had a problem, this is good insurance!

Thanks!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

They also make countersinks! I've used those for years, some jobs can't be done without them! Very handy!

Thanks Lance for showing your process!

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)

I visited a fellow guitarbuilder last week and he showed me his homemade spotfacing bit. He used a spade bit and ground cutting edges on the upper edge. Cheap and effective.

What, no depth stop!?!

Great tutorial Lance. I will have to file this one away for the future. One question, Can you explain how you ground the stud and kept the point on center?

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jw ( o)===:::

Hey Joe! I routed out a mortise on the top of the guitar and glue on the tenon on the underside of the fingerboard.
I drill two holes and used t-bolts and bolted the extension down.
Also a 1/2" piece is glued on the top side of the neck block before the top is glued on to have something to rout into.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Just took it to the grinder....

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

If you don't have a lathe, put your stud in an electric drill and turn it on as you go at it on the grinder. Nice tutorial.

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Dean

Nice tutorial, thanks. I am wondering the same with Terry above . How's the depth of cut controlled? Thanks.

Lance,
Nice job

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

The depth of cut is done by feel, drill a little, pop it out and feel, test fit the bolt, repeat. It doesn't cut SUPER fast, and your cutting on the pull not the push, so that also makes it hard to over do it.
I just use my electric hand drill, hit it for maybe 2 or 3 seconds and check.

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

You could probably mark the shank with a sharpie or a piece of tape at the outer surface of the headblock.

That looks nice and clean with the heads counterbored.

Thanks for the tute.

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Horton, MI